Leeds United failed to sign Aston Villa star amid Daniel Farke transfer window tension
Leeds United wanted to sign Emi Bendia during the transfer window but Aston Villa refused to let him go, Angus Kinnear has revealed.
The Whites chief executive told The Square Ball (12 September) that the Argentinian attacker was a transfer target at Elland Road but he didn’t want to drop back into the second tier from the Premier League.
Daniel Farke made clear after the transfer deadline passed he was unhappy not to have been given a new number 10 to replace Georginio Rutter, and Kinnear admitted there is “always tension” during the window but pointed to the high value of the squad and wage bill in terms of the Championship as proving the hierarchy’s commitment.
He insisted Farke is “incredibly collaborative” and says everyone was aligned on the players that did come in, but admitted number 10 was the one aim that went begging.
He said (11m 30s): “The one missing piece of the jigsaw, which I think Daniel was very fair to identify, was ideally to give the window an A-plus grade we’d have secured a number 10, but those number 10s are really hard to find…The players that we looked at weren’t available to us or we thought weren’t at the standard.
“Buendia was on our list, and very clearly from Aston Villa wasn’t going to be released, and the player didn’t want to come back down. He felt he’d served his time at Championship level.”
Angus Kinnear reveals Leeds United attempt for Emi Buendia
Buendia would no doubt have been a huge boost for Farke after their success together at Norwich City, so if the German was aware the move had proven to be beyond the Whites it would have added to his disappointment.
Kinnear pointed to the quality of the attacking players already in the squad to fill the role, including returning loanee Brenden Aaronson.
The American has so far made a positive impact since he came back from an unpopular loan at Union Berlin, to the surprise of some [Graham Smyth, 2 September], but there is some understandable frustration that a late-window scramble to replace departed stars saw one position missed.
Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon have covered for Crysencio Summerville’s exit, while Ao Tanaka fills the gap left by Glen Kamara.
Kinnear pointed to the quality of Jayden Bogle to replace Archie Gray at right-back, but Rutter’s late exit to Brighton has left Farke with Aaronson, Joel Piroe or a selection of wide options to play behind the striker.
After the Gustavo Hamer debacle it will be all the more frustrating to discover Leeds also missed out on Buendia, but how important that proves to be will only become clear as games pass this term.
In other Leeds United news, another Whites attacker is now in line for a permanent exit in the January window.
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